“Love is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of repair.”

— Sue Johnson, founder of Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT)

Couples Therapy

Couples often arrive feeling caught in painful cycles of conflict, distance, or disconnection. You may care deeply for each other yet feel misunderstood, hurt, or unsure how to restore closeness and trust. These patterns can be confusing and discouraging, especially when you’ve tried to change them but find yourselves returning to the same place.

Couples therapy helps you understand the interactional cycle that shapes your relationship — how each partner’s emotions, needs, and fears meet within the bond. Grounded in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), we slow these moments down and explore the deeper attachment longings and vulnerabilities underneath them, allowing new responsiveness and connection to emerge.

I offer a grounded, compassionate space where both partners can feel welcomed, valued, and understood. Together, we work to soften protective patterns, repair hurt, and strengthen the emotional bond so your relationship can feel more secure, connected, and resilient over time.

My work with couples is collaborative and experiential, supporting lasting change in how you experience and respond to each other.

Let’s get started

Feeling understood, welcomed, and valued in therapy is essential. It matters to find a therapist who feels like a good fit.

If you would like to explore working together, please fill out the form on this page to request a free 15-minute phone consultation. You’re also welcome to reach out via phone, text, or email:

Email: hattie@hattiebluestone.com
Phone: (805) 364-3090

Session fee: $200 for individual counseling sessions (50 minutes)

Insurance: I do not accept insurance but do provide monthly superbills for out-of-network reimbursement.

I am a trained Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) therapist with over five years of experience helping couples heal relational wounds and reconnect with each other.

EFT can support a wide range of relational concerns, including conflict cycles, emotional distance, trust ruptures, communication difficulties, attachment injuries, and the impact of past relational trauma on present relationships.

Benefits of EFT:

  • A deeper sense of safety and security in relationships

  • Greater understanding of emotional needs and patterns

  • Repair of hurt and rebuilding of trust

  • More open, responsive communication

  • Stronger emotional connection and closeness

My hope is that EFT helps you feel more secure, connected, and supported in your relationships. You don’t need to have everything resolved before beginning therapy. Just come as you are—your relationship and your hopes are welcome here.

Areas of Specialization

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy

  • Mindfulness and Self-Compassion

  • Somatic (body-based) therapy

  • Psychodynamic therapy

  • Emotion Focused Couples Therapy (EFT)

  • Academics, intellectuals, professionals, parents

  • Adults, couples, and families

  • Relationship and parenting challenges

  • Anxiety and Panic

  • Depression

  • Harsh Inner Critics and Perfectionism

  • Self-confidence, Shame, and Imposter Syndrome

  • Stress and Burnout

  • Disordered Eating and Body Image

  • Substance Use and Compulsive behaviors

  • Grief and Life transitions